This picks up Andrew's Multiverser game from Andrew on the Island
Someone is nudging you; you realize that you are asleep, and that your lungs hurt--but this is not the grass, nor the uneven slope of the mountain, but a soft floor.
The words come through. "Hey, buddy, are you all right?"
You gasp in a breat of fresh air, and the pain vanishes from your lungs.
--M. J. Young
I groan and open my eyes, sitting up (if that's possible due to space).
"I'm not sure. I think I got rolled or mugged last night. Where in the world am I?"
I try to get a good look around, particularly noting things like the style of dress, whether there are buildings nearby and what kind, and whether or not the person talking to me is anything like a person as I'm used to it. I've read enough science fiction to realize that just cause someone's not human doesn't mean they're not a person. I've also read enough to figure that if I'm anywhere but an alternate earth the chances of finding anything like a human are slim. I'm also hoping that I'm not in trouble just from where I'm at (military installation/private corporation doing illegal research, that kind of thing).
You are inside, in a large room reminiscent in appointments to a banquet hall, cafeteria, or restaurant--many tables and chairs, but with a modern or futuristic look to them, with probably hundreds of people eating meals and conversing with each other.
The lighting in the room progresses from this somewhat darker end to a brighter area in the distance, and it is certainly one of the largest such rooms you've ever seen. You are against the wall at the darker end.
The clothing is very varied, some of it reasonably like home and some of it impossible to make from ordinary fabric. The person standing over you is dressed in some of this impossible stuff, which might be accomplished by heavy starch or by metal or plastic supports beneath the fabric or stiff yet flexible fibers that restore their shape after being moved or bent.
The people look perfectly human, at least in as far as you can see them.
You also have a vague feeling, like you left something on the other side of the wall.
"So, where do you think this happened, and how did you get to the galley?"
--M. J. Young
"I'm not really sure. I only thought that because I woke up somewhere I didn't remember going to sleep in. Actually, come to think of it, the last thing I remember was drinking with some friends, so I have no idea how I got to the galley. I'm sorry, I may have just over reacted to waking up somewhere strange. Sorry about that. I don't suppose you know what time it is? I seem to be without my timepiece."
I'm going to stand up slowly and gingerly and fake a headache to try to give my story some semblance of believability. From everyones mode of dress I'm going to assume that I went from the edge of a volcano to a space vessel of some kind. The lack of uniformity in clothing seems to imply civilian rather than military, but the funky costumes could be some kind of crew uniform so I'm going to have to tread carefully here.
"Wow, it's kind of odd that no one noticed you in all this time. Think maybe if you come get something to eat, you'll feel better?"
"The time? It's second shift, I think maybe third hour. Are you crew? I've never known a colonist ask about the time."
--M. J. Young
"Ya, a bit of food would help out a lot, thanks. I was supposed to meet someone just before second shift for a meal, which is probably how I ended up here. I'm sure she's gone by now so I guess I'll try to find her later."
I'm hoping that there's some kind of a line that I can join so that my ignorance about how to get food in this place isn't apparent. If there is I will join it and get something to eat. Then, assuming that nothing else happens I'm going go explore the ship a bit.
There is someone getting food at the moment. You get one chance to watch what they do.
The entire food delivery system appears to be automated--something like the Horne and Hardardt's Automat, but without the people behind the curtain making it work.
You copy what you saw done, and in a moment have what seems to be a Hot Pockets sort of meal, only with a thicker and more bread-like crust and a dryer center, meat and vegetables in a bread loaf of some sort. That seems to be standard fare.
You move down the line and repeat the operation, and are rewarded with a sealed pouch containing liquid, apparently a beverage.
--M. J. Young
I find a seat and eat the meal. I try to pick a seat that is a couple seats away from other people but still near enough that I don't seem weird. Is the guy from before still with me or has he let me alone now that I'm hopefully acting 'normal'.
The food tastes pretty good, actually.
The person who roused you watched you for a moment, but decided you were all right when you sat down, and returned to his own business.
No one pays much attention to you one way or another; you seem to be expressing the desire for privacy, and no one interferes with it. Conversations around you seem trivial.
--M. J. Young
While I'm eating I keep an eye on people and try to figure out what to do with my trash. I also listen to the conversations around me and try to get an idea of what's going on around here. I'm particularly interesting in anything to do with the ship or the colonization.
After I've finished eating and disposed of my trash I want to start exploring the ship. I try to stay on the same deck an see how big the ship is and whether there are any restricted portions of the ship. If I finish with the first deck in less than an hour I'll move up a deck. I want to try to figure out what the technology level of the ship is. I'm thinking that even though it's more advanced than my home reality I'll find that a lot of things are going to look like they're straight out of the fifties. So I'm expecting a lot of lever and button driven machinery that I should hopefully be able to figure out.
While I'm out and about I'm also going to see if their writing is the same as what I'm used to.
It appears that the written language is close enough, although some of the letters seem to have altered slightly over time, toward greater simplicity. The upper case F, for example, has dropped the lower bar, but is still clearly that letter in print.
You have no trouble determining where to return your tray and your trash. There appears to be a certain amount of sorting to be done--scraping food waste into a receptical intended specifically for it--but it's easy to grasp.
Traveling the corridors of the ship seems easy enough. Are you striking out in one direction, or how are you exploring? (Obviously, the way you explore will impact when you reach an edge.)
--M. J. Young
I'm going to start in the direction I felt a pull in when I woke up. I have the feeling that's where my stuff is, I just hope it isn't floating in space somewhere.
When you relax, you feel that pull; it is easy to negotiate the corridors to get to the source, and indeed it is your stuff.
If you included anything as yours on the Tropical Island, it should be here with the other stuff (unless some was in camp and some on the beach). Let me know what might be added to your sheet.
--M. J. Young
Nothing really needs to be added to the character sheet, most of it was disposable gear I wouldn't have felt any need to keep once it wasn't of immediate use anymore.
I continue exploring in that direction, paying close attention to any signs and looking for anything that might be a public access computer terminal of some kind. If I have to choose a direction due to hitting the wall I'll go to the right and I will attempt to circle the whole perimiter of the ship. Anything that looks like a restricted area I'll avoid for now, as well as any kind of personal quarters.
Anything else that's public is fair game. I want to learn as much as possible about this place as quick as I can so any kind of public access library will get me to stop and do some research.
Unfortunately, it appears that you are in an area comprised almost entirely of apartments, or perhaps dormitory rooms would better describe them. There are what appear to be public bathroom and shower facilities, and of course you left the galley behind, but everything else seems to be bedrooms, either individual or couple.
You wander around in this area for a couple of hours, mostly headed straight. There are places where stairways, ramps, and lifts can carry you up--in some of these, the corridor seems to be the bottom of a cavern possibly several miles deep, with deck upon deck of dormitory rooms or apartments, bridges crossing the gap from one set to another, lights built into walls and beneath bridges, and balcony walkways along the edge.
--M. J. Young
I'm going to start looking for a communal laundry room as well. If I can find one I'll try to figure out how to wash my clothing while I go take a shower. Failing that I'd like to find some kind of clothing dispensary of there is such a thing on this ship. After I'm clean I start heading up looking for somewhere where I can find an information terminal or library. Failing that I look for some kind of commerce area where I can observe people buying things and work out their system of currency.
You hunt around for a while and indeed do find a rather large laundry facility. The equipment looks to be very similar to what you used on Earth, but there are a few extra controls on it, and you don't see any place to get laundry surfactants or similar products.
I'm assuming that you are changing into something while your clothes are washing, something you can wear between laundry and shower; is that correct, or are you planning to make the trip in something less than acceptable as street clothes?
You manage to get the machines working, filling with water. It appears that the washing and drying are done in a single machine, front-loaded and able to switch functions once it finishes spinning. It also seems that the cleaning products are added automatically, but the controls for those are not at all clear to you, so you do your best with them.
Whatever you're wearing, you depart for the showers.
--M. J. Young
I wear one set of clothes while washing the rest as I head to the showers. Hopefully I can find a place to get a towel while there and once I'm done showering I'm going to come back for my clothes and wash the last set of clothing. I'll wait around for them to be done and then continue my search for a terminal/library upward.
You don't find a towel, but the showers have a built-in warm air drying system, much like those hand dryers on a large scale. They also have dispensers for various soaps and creams and some medicines, some of which can be routed through the water stream (something like the spray delivery system on some car wash setups, where you select "wash" and get soapy water, and then "rinse" for clean).
You finish the rest of your clothes and repack your things, then set out to seek a library or computer room. You look for several hours with no result.
Then you happen to pass someone who is apparently getting directions of some sort from an interactive directory screen built into a wall in the hallway. You stop and watch and wait patiently, some distance away so as not to seem to be intruding.
They finish, and the screen goes blank and becomes part of the wall.
--M. J. Young
I wait for the person to move away and approach the wall. I try to figure out if there is anything different about this part of the wall from all the others, such as texture, color or transparency. Then I tap on the wall, hoping to bring up some kind of directory or search program. If that doesn't work I'll also try saying computer and help quietly when there's no one within earshot. Hopefully one of them will bring up the computer system.
If either method works I look for a search or directory feature and look for a library, a terminal room and a training room in that order. Assuming I find one of the three I head towards it, or if those functions can be accessed by wall I start looking up the history of this universe, looking for more recent information first. I'm particularly interested in science and technology level, as well as some idea of the name of the starship I'm on and where we're heading.
Tapping the wall brings up a touch-response screen. It seems to be set to begin with an area floorplan and direction finder, but requires an address to provide directions. It takes a few efforts for you to work out how to get it to identify rooms and move through the map without giving it a destination.
When you enter the word "Library" it gives a definition:
1) A collection of books, an obsolete form of information storage made from processed organic materials. 2) An organized collection of information.The definition continues with a few other applications, but there is no indication that a library exists here. The definitions for "Terminal" and "Training" are considerably more detailed, but again do not give any indication of where any facility of that name might be found.
The current ship seems to be designated WNDR759; if it has another name you can't identify it. The destination is also unclear. It is clear that the systems include gravity generation, advanced robotics, and a few other things that clearly put this ahead of the technology you knew on Earth, but just how far ahead is difficult to gauge.
It is difficult to be certain, but it appears that this may be the third or fourth generation of passengers aboard this ship, and that there has been no contact with anyone not on the ship in that time.
--M. J. Young
I try looking up computer technology and history, starting with the history of the ship and then moving on to the history of earth. I'm not sure if the last is even relevant in this universe, since they could be from the planet Bob for all I know. Regardless of what I learn I also try to find a news feed of some kind, and learn what's been going on lately. Next I do a search for medical technology and then for Versers. I don't expect to find anything but hey, you never know. Lastly I'm going to look up the crew and the ships chain of command, with a particular interest in finding a ship's captain or high level officer. If I decide to reveal myself I figure I should start at the top rather than the bottom.
It appears that the ship originated from a planet called Earth; history of Earth prior to the mid twenty-second century is sketchy at best, but appears to be comparable to the world you remember. There is no history of earth after that point, which appears to be the time of departure. Whether the claims that Earth was becoming uninhabitable are accurate or political is uncertain.
There is information about computer technology, but most of it amounts to "Terminal Use for Idiots" and the possibility of applying to become a computer technician. This latter seems to be discouraging, as if they have plenty of such people already and don't really need anyone else.
A search for medical technology yields directions to nearby medical treatment facilities. Again the possibility of becoming a medical technician is treated with discouraging information, that there are more people than positions and you are not really needed.
Nothing on Versers except that it is a slang term for poets and songwriters.
Names of ship's officers are not public information.
--M. J. Young
I do one last search on the wall to try to find out if there is anything like a retail store in the ship, or some kind of place where you can buy things. If there is I'll head towards that. Otherwise I start heading for the top of the ship, hoping that that is where the crew will be.
You find something called "Commissary Level", but it is not on this level; it is, however, above this level, if you are reading the directory aright--that is, it is above all the apartments in a section higher up in the ship.
--M. J. Young
OCC: Sorry for the long absense, life happened. Hopefully I'll be back for a while, but you never can tell.
I quickly search for directions to an elevator, escalator or stairwell, then head on up to the commisary level. When I reach there I want to browse around and see what there tech level is for personal items, then watch at whatever register type deal they have and see what they are using for money.
One of the advantages of multiple staging is that when you happen to be in your own world, no one is dependent on you being here. I just wonder at times whether it was something I said....
It is relatively easy to find ladders, lifts, stairs, and other means of moving between the levels within the living quarters. It is something else again to find a means of moving out of the living quarters entirely. However, you eventually find that there are access points along what must be the outer edge of the complex, and near each of the (as you now see) several galleys which dot the interior. The nearest is probably back where you started.
You reach it easily enough--a square tube about thirty feet across with handles all around the outside and something between a cable and a chain ladder hanging at three foot intervals throughout. People appear to be pulling themselves up or lowering themselves almost effortlessly along these; then you notice someone who is upside down, as if he were pulling himself down, his legs dangling above him.
--M. J. Young